Electric tool holder with accessory pod

ABSTRACT

The invention is a system incorporating an accessory pod. In one embodiment, a rotary tool charging station system includes an electric tool holder with a charging port and a first coupling portion, and an accessory holder pod configured to hold a plurality of accessories and including a second coupling portion, the second coupling portion configured to removably couple with the first coupling portion.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the field of hand held electric tools and related accessories.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Hand held tools including rotary tools are widely used by many people including professionals, craftspeople, homeowners, and artists. Rotary tools typically include an outer housing designed to be easily held within a human hand. The housing retains an electric motor which is operable to drive a rotatable chuck of the rotary tool. An accessory may be releasably secured to the chuck thereby enabling the rotary tool to rotatably drive the accessory.

Some of the hand held rotary tools are powered by removable batteries. When the charge on the battery has been used, the battery is removed from the tool and re-charged using a charging station. In the event the battery is not removable, the entire rotary tool may be placed in the charging station to re-charge the batteries. The charging station may also be used as a storage device.

The widespread use of hand held rotary tools is a result, in part, of the wide variety of accessory types that may be used with the tools. The accessory types include drill bits of various sizes, cut-off wheels, polishing wheels, grinding wheels, sanding discs, routing bits and other cutting bits. Some of the accessories used with rotary tools are provided to a consumer in simple packaging which is not intended to function as a permanent storage device. Thus, a consumer may simply keep the accessories in a drawer or storage bin with other accessories. For accessories which include cutting tips or blades, such storage can lead to dulling or even chipping of the cutting tip or blade. Accordingly, various accessory holders have been developed which provide for storage of the accessory by the consumer.

Accessory holders are useful in organizing various accessories. Nonetheless, an accessory holder may become separated from the rotary tool. Thus, a user may incur a delay in finding both the rotary tool and the accessory holder. Alternatively, if the accessory holder is mounted within a work space, the accessories must be individually carried to a worksite. Additionally, some accessory holders are enclosed. Thus, the consumer cannot see the actual accessory. Accordingly, the consumer cannot tell by looking at the accessory holder whether or not the accessory is within the holder.

What is needed is an accessory holder that may be stored with a rotary tool. What is further needed is an accessory holder which can be used to transport the accessories to a work site. It would be further beneficial if the accessory holder could be stored with a charging station which is configured to hold a rotary tool as a battery in the rotary tool is recharged.

SUMMARY

The invention is a system incorporating an accessory pod. In one embodiment, a rotary tool charging station system includes an electric tool holder with a charging port and a first coupling portion, and an accessory holder pod configured to hold a plurality of accessories and including a second coupling portion, the second coupling portion configured to removably couple with the first coupling portion.

In a further embodiment, an accessory pod in a rotary tool holder system includes at least one accessory holder, a support member extending outwardly from the at least one accessory holder, a skirt extending downwardly from the support member, and a coupling portion adjacent the skirt and configured to removably couple the accessory pod to a rotary tool holder.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention may take form in various system components and arrangement of system components. The drawings are only for purposes of illustrating exemplary embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the invention.

FIG. 1 shows front plan view of a rotary tool holding system including a rotary tool holder which is configured to hold a rotary tool and to recharge a rotary tool held therein, along with an auxiliary rotary tool holder and an accessory pod which are removably coupled to the rotary tool holder incorporating features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a top plan view of the rotary tool holder of the system of FIG. 1 showing the charging port and two coupling portions;

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the rotary tool holder and auxiliary rotary tool holder of the system of FIG. 1 with one rotary tool positioned in the rotary tool holder;

FIG. 4 shows a side plan view of the rotary tool holder of the system of FIG. 1 with a coupling portion including a dovetail opening and a recess for receiving a positive engagement member;

FIG. 5 shows a front perspective view of the auxiliary rotary tool holder of the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 shows a side plan view of the auxiliary rotary tool holder of the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 shows a top perspective view of the accessory holder pod of the system of FIG. 1 with a positive engagement member extending outwardly of a plane defined by lips of a coupling portion;

FIG. 8 shows a side plan view of the accessory holder pod of FIG. 7 with the coupling portion within a recess defined by a gap;

FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional view of the accessory holder pod of FIG. 7 with accessory holders configured with a hexagonal shape and a skirt with a coplanar base portion;

FIG. 10 shows a top plan view of an alternative accessory holder pod that may be used with the rotary tool holder system of FIG. 1 with accessory holders configured with a circular shape; and

FIG. 11 shows a perspective view of the rotary tool holder system of FIG. 1 with the auxiliary rotary tool holder removed and with the accessory holder pod of FIG. 1 and the accessory holder pod of FIG. 9 coupled with the rotary tool holder of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a rotary tool holder system 100 includes a rotary tool holder 102, an accessory holder pod 104 and an auxiliary rotary tool holder 106. The rotary tool holder 102 includes a cradle 108, a charge indicator light 110 and a charging port 112 which is shown more clearly in FIG. 2. The cradle 108 is configured to receive a rotary tool 114 which is shown in FIG. 3 with the handle 116 of the rotary tool 114 inserted within the cradle 108 and coupled with the charging port 112.

Returning to FIG. 2, the rotary tool holder 102 further includes two coupling portions 118 and 120. The coupling portions 118 and 120 in this embodiment are identical and are described with reference to the coupling portion 118 shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. The coupling portion 118 includes two opposing lips 122 and 124. An inner wall 126 is located between the opposing lips 122 and 124 and includes a recess 128 near the lower portion of the coupling portion 118. The opposing lips 122 and 124 converge slightly toward each other as they extend away from the rotary tool holder 102. The opposing lips 122 and 124 along with the inner wall 126 thus define a dovetail opening 130.

The auxiliary tool holder 106 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 includes a cradle 132 and a support skirt 134. The cradle 132 is configured to receive a rotary tool such as the rotary tool 114 shown in FIG. 3. The support skirt 134 defines an opening 138 to a recess 140. A coupling portion 142 located within the recess 140 includes two lips 144 and 146. The lips 144 and 146 are configured to be inserted between the opposing lips 122 and 124 or, in this embodiment, between the opposing lips in the coupling portion 120, in a dove-tail configuration.

A resilient cantilevered arm 148 extends between the lips 144 and 146 and a protuberance 150 is located at the lower portion of the arm 148. The protuberance 150 extends somewhat outwardly of the plane defined by the lips 144 and 146. Moreover, the protuberance 150 is sized and located such that when the lips 144 and 146 are inserted between the opposing lips 122, 124, the protuberance 150 aligns with the recess 128.

The accessory holder pod 104 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 includes a support skirt 152 that extends upwardly and inwardly to a surface 154. The support skirt 152 defines an opening 156 to a recess 158. A coupling portion 160 located within the recess 158 includes two lips 162 and 164. The lips 162 and 164 are configured to be inserted between the opposing lips 122 and 124 in a dove-tail configuration.

A resilient cantilevered arm 166 extends between the lips 162 and 164 and a protuberance 168 is located at the lower portion of the arm 166. The protuberance 168 extends somewhat outwardly of the plane defined by the lips 162 and 164 as shown in FIG. 7 just as the protuberance 150 extends outwardly of the plane defined by the lips 144 and 146. Moreover, the protuberance 168 is sized and located such that when the lips 162 and 164 are inserted between the opposing lips 122 and 124 the protuberance 168 aligns with the recess 128.

The surface 154 supports a number of accessory holders 170. The accessory holders 170 include an outer wall 172 which defines a cavity 174 (see FIG. 9). The accessory holders 170 open to the surface 154 through openings 156. The accessory holders 170 in this embodiment are configured to receive hexagonally shaped accessories with a common diameter.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the accessory holder pod 104 is shown coupled with the coupler 120. The accessory pod 104 may, however, be coupled to either coupling portion 118 or to coupling portion 120. To couple the accessory holder pod 104 with the coupling portion 118, the bottom portions of the lips 162 and 164 are aligned with the dovetail opening 130. The lips 162 and 164 are then pushed into the opening 130. As the lips 162 and 164 move into the opening 130, the protuberance 168 contacts the inner wall 126 between the opposing lips 122 and 124. This contact forces the resilient arm 166 to flex away from the inner wall 126 allowing the protuberance to slide downwardly along the inner wall 126.

When the lips 162 and 164 are fully inserted into the dovetail opening 130, the protuberance 168 aligns with the recess 128. The arm 166, which is no longer constrained by contact between the protuberance 168 and the inner wall 126, flexes toward the inner wall 126 moving the protuberance 168 into the recess 128.

To remove the accessory holder pod 104 from the rotary tool holder 102, pressure is applied to the accessory holder 104 in an upwardly direction. This forces the protuberance 168 against the inner wall 126 forcing the arm 166 in a direction away from the inner wall 126. The lips 162 and 164 are then lifted out of the dovetail opening 130. Thus, the accessory holder pod 104 may be decoupled from the rotary tool holder 102 and carried along with any accessories within the accessory holders 170 to a work site. Additionally, the lower portion of the support skirt 152 is essentially coplanar (see FIG. 8). Thus, the accessory holder pod 104 may be used as an accessory stand by placing the accessory holder 104 on a level surface.

An accessory holder pod 180 shown in FIG. 10 includes a support skirt 182, an opening 184, a recess 186 and a coupling portion 188 that are substantially identical to components described with reference to the accessory holder pod 104. The accessory holder pod 180 differs from the accessory holder pod 104 in that the surface 190 supports accessory holders 192 which are configured to hold accessories with a circular cross section.

As shown in FIG. 11, the accessory holder pod 180 may be coupled with the rotary tool holder 102 along with the accessory holder pod 104. Additionally, since the coupling portion 188 is identical to the coupling portion 160, either accessory holder pod 104 and 180 may be coupled to the rotary tool holder 102 at either of the coupling portions 118 and 120.

In further rotary tool holder systems, a rotary tool holder, which may or may not incorporate a charging port, includes several coupling portions. This allows for a number of different accessory holder pods to be selectively coupled and decoupled to the rotary tool holder. Moreover, the accessory holder pods may be provided as part of a system and/or individually.

Additionally, while the coupling portions in the embodiments set forth above are identical, in alternative systems two or more coupling portions are provided with coupling portions which work with unique accessory holder pods. In yet further systems, the accessory holders within a particular pod may be configured differently so as to hold accessories of different types and/or which are differently shaped. By way of example, in an accessory holder pod for a drill bit set wherein each shank of the drill set is differently sized, the accessory holders may be sized similarly to the drill bit associated with the particular accessory holder.

While the present invention has been illustrated by the description of exemplary system components, and while the various components have been described in considerable detail, applicant does not intend to restrict or in any limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will also readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broadest aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, implementations, or illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of applicant's general inventive concept. 

1. A tool charging station system comprising: an electric tool holder with a charging port and a first coupling portion; and an accessory holder pod configured to hold a plurality of accessories and including a second coupling portion, the second coupling portion configured to removably couple with the first coupling portion.
 2. The charging station system of claim 1, wherein the tool holder further comprises a third coupling portion, the system further comprising; an auxiliary tool holder configured to hold a rotary tool, the auxiliary tool holder including a fourth coupling portion configured to removably couple with the third coupling portion.
 3. The charging station system of claim 1, wherein: the first coupling portion is one of a plurality of first coupling portions; and the accessory holder pod is one of a plurality of accessory holder pods, each of the plurality of accessory holders including a coupling portion configured to removably couple with one of the first plurality of coupling portions.
 4. The charging station system of claim 1, wherein the accessory holder pod includes a plurality of accessory receiving areas, each of the plurality of accessory receiving areas configured to hold an accessory.
 5. The charging station system of claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of accessory receiving areas is configured to hold an accessory of a type different from each of the other of the plurality of accessory receiving areas.
 6. The charging station system of claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of accessory receiving areas is configured to hold a drill bit.
 7. The charging station system of claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of accessory receiving areas is configured to hold a drill bit with a hexagonal shaft.
 8. The charging station system of claim 1, wherein the accessory holder pod comprises: an upper surface; a plurality of accessory receiving areas opening to the upper surface; and a skirt extending outwardly and downwardly from the upper surface.
 9. The charging station of claim 8, wherein: the skirt defines a gap; and the second coupling portion is positioned at least partially within the gap.
 10. The charging station of claim 9 wherein the second coupling portion comprises a dovetail coupling portion.
 11. The charging station of claim 10, wherein the second coupling portion further comprises a positive engagement member.
 12. An accessory pod in a rotary tool holder system comprising: at least one accessory holder; a support member extending outwardly from the at least one accessory holder; a skirt extending downwardly from the support member; and a coupling portion adjacent the skirt and configured to removably couple the accessory pod to a rotary tool holder.
 13. The rotary tool holder system of claim 12, wherein: the skirt defines a gap; and the coupling portion is positioned at least partially within the gap.
 14. The rotary tool holder system of claim 13, wherein the coupling portion comprises a dovetail coupling portion.
 15. The rotary tool holder system of claim 14, wherein the coupling portion further comprises a positive engagement member.
 16. The rotary tool holder system of claim 12, wherein the at least one accessory holder includes a plurality of accessory holders, each of the plurality of accessory holders configured to hold an accessory.
 17. The rotary tool holder system of claim 16, wherein each of the plurality of accessory holders is configured to hold an accessory of a type different from each of the other of the plurality of accessory holders.
 18. The rotary tool holder system of claim 12, wherein the at least one accessory holder is configured to hold a drill bit.
 19. The rotary tool holder system of claim 18, wherein the at least one accessory holder is configured to hold a round drill bit.
 20. The rotary tool holder of claim 12, wherein the skirt includes a base area for supporting the rotary tool holder in an upright position when the accessory pod is not coupled to a rotary tool holder. 